Sessions
Modernizing the Grid: New Efficiency & Planning Initiatives
4:10 PM - 4:20 PM Tue
Maria Hilda is the Director for Grid Modernization, Regulatory at LUMA Energy in Puerto Rico. In this role, she focuses on setting forth the regulatory foundations for new technologies and develop plans for grid modernization. She works on key programs: planning the execution and development of the IRP, product that guides how the future of PR electricity sector is shaped; and on customer program initiatives, she provides guidance on the development and oversees the evolution and completion of new technology programs mandated by PR laws.
In her prior role as Energy Advisor with Power Africa, Maria Hilda worked with government, financial institutions, and developers to double electricity access in sub-Saharan Africa. Ms. Rivera joined this whole of US Government Partnership for the launch of Beyond the Grid, Power Africa’s signature distributed energy program. She later led Power Africa's thinking on electricity distribution.
In 2020, she received the US Department of Energy's C3E Award in the International category for her outstanding leadership and achievements in clean energy.
Prior to Power Africa, Ms. Rivera worked at the World Bank, where she served as a core team member of the Lighting Africa Program during its inception and oversaw initiatives to increase the private sector’s role in delivering energy access. She has also been an Energy Engineer at Energy and Security Group, a woman-owned firm, and served at the American Council for Renewable Energy (ACORE), an umbrella trade association. Her career in the renewable and distributed energy sectors has focused heavily on increasing private sector participation in providing clean energy access. Key to her advancement has been her ability to understand both government and private-sector perspectives. She has designed and implemented numerous programs to boost clean energy markets and increase economic growth in developing countries. Rivera’s focus on clean energy started in graduate courses at the University of California, Davis, where she studied Biological and Agricultural Engineering and International Development.
Rivera earned a BS in Bioresource Engineering from Rutgers University.